FIRST TIME THEY'VE BEEN CALLED TO INVESTIGATE THIS PARTICULAR FAMILY. POTHOLES ARE POPPING UP ALL OVER HOUSTON. IT'S A GROWING PROBLEM THAT DRIVERS ARE FORCED TO DEAL WITH EVERY DAY. THE MAYOR IS TRYING TO PLUG THE POTHOLES WITH AN ADDITIONAL $10 MILLION. BUT THAT BE ENOUGH? WE SENT LOCAL 2'S PHILLIP MENA ON POTHOLE PATROL TONIGHT. PHILIP? Reporter: WELL, I'M STANDING ALONG ONE OF HOUSTON'S WORST ROADS FOR POT HOLES. THIS IS MON ROY NEAR -- MONROE NEAR AIRPORT BOULEVARD. TODAY AIRPARKER ANNOUNCED A PLAN -- MAYOR PARKER ANNOUNCED A PLAN THAT MIGHT MAKE YOUR COMMUTE A BIT SMOOTHER. THEY'RE HORRIBLE. Reporter: DRIVE AROUND HOUSTON AND IT WON'T TAKE LONG BEFORE YOU'LL HIT ONE. I'VE BEEN DOWN HERE FOR ABOUT FOUR MONTHS AND THAT'S ONE THING I NOTICE BODY THE CITY IS THE POTHOLES. I DON'T KNOW IF THE BUDGET IS NOT THERE OR IF THE CITY IS IGNORING IT, BUT IT'S PRETTY BAD. Reporter: THE MAYOR SAYS SHE'S WELL AWEAR OF OUR CITY'S PROBLEM AND THURSDAY SHE ANNOUNCED A BUDGET PROPOSAL THAT INCLUDED $50 MILLION TOWARD REPAIRING HOUSTON ROADS. THAT'S $10 MILLION HORN THE CITY SPENT LAST YEAR. IT'S A GOOD START. WE HAVE ENOUGH WORK THAT WOULD ALLOW US TO USE UP $20 BILLION MORE. Reporter: THE CITY MUST DIVVY THESE PROPOSED FUNDS BETWEEN COMPLETE ROAD RECONSTRUCTION AND PATCHWORK. WE HAVE TO HAVE REVENUE AVAILABLE FOR THE QUICK FIXES, THE PATCHING, REPAIR, AND LITERALLY GO ON DOWN THE ROAD. Reporter: LAST YEAR ALONE, CITY CRUCIFIXED MORE THAN 50,000 -- CREWS FIXED MORE THAN 50,000 POTHOLES. ON THE WEST SIDE AT BRIAR FOREST AND KIRKWOOD, AND NEAR THE MEDICAL CENTER AT HOKUM AND GREENBRIAR.H THIS EXTRA MONEY WILL ALLOWH TO US DO MORE WORK. IT'S NOT GOING TO COMPLETELY GET ALL THE WORK DONE, BUT IT WILL GET US TO A POINT WHERE WE CAN WRAP OUR ARMS AROUND IT IN THE FUTURE. Reporter: IN COMPLAINING TO FAMILY AND FRIENDS ABOUT THESE POTHOLES ISN'T ENOUGH. YOU NEED TO LET THE CITY KNOW SPECIFICALLY WHATTED INTO ARE IN NEED OF -- WHAT ROADS ARE IN NEED OF ATTENTION. YOU CAN DO THAT BY CALLING 311. PHILLIP MENA, KPRC LOCAL 2. THANK YOU.

HOUSTON -

Houston Mayor Annise Parker wants to spend nearly $50 million repairing the city's roads. She made the announcement Thursday during her budget proposal for the 2015 fiscal year. The plan includes a proposed 27 percent increase from $38.8 million for road maintenance in 2014 to $49.4 million in 2015.

Often annoying and sometimes dangerous, potholes are a big problem for Houston drivers.

"It's a major issue right now," said Houston Public Works spokesman Alvin Wright. "We want to get the roads done because we drive on the exact same roads everybody else does."

The money would need to be divvied between complete road reconstruction and patchwork.

"It's a good start," Wright said referring to the proposed $10 million funding increase. "We have enough work that would allow us to use up $20 million more."

Although city crews fixed more than 50,000 potholes last year alone, many drivers are still frustrated with their bumpy commutes.

"I've been all over the United States and this is probably one of the worst places for potholes," said driver Guy Renda. "I've been (in Houston) for about 4 months now and that's the one thing I notice about the city - there are potholes everywhere. They're horrible."

Mayor Parker said despite fiscal limitations on the Rebuild Houston program and her commitment to long-term road solutions, she's in favor of spending on temporary road repairs.

"We have to have revenue available for the quick fixes," Mayor Parker said Thursday. "We can't skip over just the patch and repair work that needs to be done."

The proposed city budget must be finalized by June 30.

"This (proposed) extra money will allow us to go out and do more of the work," Wright said. "It's not going to get all the work completely done. But it will get us to the point where we can actually wrap our arms around it in the future."

Copyright 2014 by Click2Houston.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Advertisement

Comments

The views expressed are not those of this company or its affiliated companies. Please note by clicking on "Post" you acknowledge that you have read the Terms Of Service and the comment you are posting is in compliance with such terms.

Today's Features

Whether they were the star of the show or just part of the cast, television history is filled with animal stars who stole the spotlight from their human co-stars. Here's a look at our picks for the best 30 TV pets ever.